TBA
by Darkness in Starlight
Summary: Second chapter is better than the first one. Melanie Trevor's twin brother and his best friend have a fight when they a in junior high. Now as Melanie and "the group" are heading into the summer between freshman and sophmore year, things radically change.
1. Triangles of Love

Author's Note: Hey Everyone! This is my first Sandlot Fanfic. Because there are so many characters in my version, I'm going to give you a list. Not all of these characters will appear in chapter one so don't freak out yet. Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sandlot

The Sandlot Team:

Pitcher- Robert (Rob) Owen

Catcher- Anthony (Tony) Santini

1st Base- Karl Karlson

2nd Base- Enrique Julio

3rd Base- Rocco Kipper

Short Stop- Ricky Kelvin

Left Field- Mel Trevor

Right Field- Kirk Karlson

Center Field- Myron Spencer

The Falcons:

Pitcher- Victor Roy

Catcher- Miles Tanner

1st Base- Kyle Jacobowski

2nd Base- Bruno Whitman

3rd Base- Riley Brown

Short Stop- Sebastian Bryce

Left Field- Terrence Trevor

Right Field- Rex Jackson

Center Field- Tyler Parker

Chapter 1

As the final bell of the school day rang, Melanie Trevor knew today was the day. She would follow them to the Sandlot just so she could see him. "He" had been Melanie's secret crush since they had all started high school. This one-of-a-kind boy was named Robert Owen.

Though she and Robert had many classes together, Melanie had only spoken to him once since eighth grade. This was because her older brother, Terrance, and Robert's best friend, Ricky Kelvin, were arch enemies.

It hadn't always been that way, Melanie remembered as she gathered her books and headed for the classroom door. When the Trevor family had moved into the Valley eight years ago, Ricky had taken Terrance under his wing, had helped him find his place in the neighborhood, and had taught him how to play baseball. Terrance soon became one of the nine boys who played the sport at the Sandlot. The nine boys became fast friends and one war rarely seen without the other eight when out in public.

Because Ricky was the first friend Terrance had made, and because they lived next door to each other, the two boys shared a special bond that no two others had seen before. Many a nights Ricky and Terrance would sleep in the Kelvin's tree house and talk into the late hours of the night.

On these nights especially, Melanie had wished herself a boy, just like her twin, so that she could climb up the ladder, fall into her sleeping bag, and chat with her best friend while waiting for sleep to come.

Melanie walked down the school hallway to her locker and passed Ricky Kelvin rummaging through his locker to find something.

As he stood back up to retrieve the item, Ricky bonked his head on the top of the locker and swore loudly. He soon realized what he had said and surveyed the area for any surrounding teachers. Instead, he saw Melanie Trevor.

How she did it, he didn't know, but every time she walked past him, Ricky's heart skipped a beat and he stopped breathing. She was the most beautiful girl in school and she never seemed to notice that he existed.

Three guesses why, Ricky thought.

It was all because of Terry. No, he had to remember that he now went by Terrance.

Terrance had suggested to the boys of the Sandlot that they practice in uniforms like the school's team did and had wanted to teach the boys' new plays like the league had taught him. This idea had not gone over very well. To them baseball was a game, something to fill in the extra hours of the day instead of watching TV or playing video games.

But to Ricky, baseball was life, and being the "leader" of the neighborhood boys, he convinced the seven of them to give Terrance's new ideas a shot and after many grumbles, the boys agreed.

Terrance had been so excited. He had finally been able to show off the new skills he had learned while playing in the league and had the neighborhood boys start to practice the new plays right away. He made the boys practice the same few plays hundreds of times over the next couple of weeks, expecting and demanding perfection of each play before moving on to the other.

The more he demanded, the more annoyed and disgruntled his friends had gotten. All had tried to talk to him about it, his sister included, but each time Terrance refused to listen.

Ricky remembered that disastrous day like it was yesterday…

Terrance had become furious at one of Rob's pitches just because it had curved the slightest bit.

"That's it, I've had it!" Rob yelled throwing down his glove. "I won't do this. I agreed to try your new ideas, Terry, because Ricky is my best friend, but this is ridiculous. I've spent the past month pitching again and again trying to perfect this one damn pitch. I'm done trying your stupid new ways."

"My stupid ways?" Terry demanded. "All I've been trying to do is make us better, and the uniforms make us look like a real team."

"A real team? We look like pigs in skirts out here."

At that point Terry had jumped Rob and they both started to beat the crap out of each other. The rest of the team ran in from their positions to the pitching mound and pulled the two boys off of each other.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Ricky demanded sharply.

"Get off me! Get off me!" Terry snarled ripping his way out of his friends' arms. "You're all a bunch of animals. I'm sick of trying to teach slugs how to play baseball."

"If you hate us so much then why don't you leave?" Rob asked.

Ricky shot Rob a silencing look.

"Why don't we try to talk about this," Ricky started. "Maybe try a compromise…"

"No, Ricky," Terry declared turning to him. "I'm done. You have two choices: them or me. If it's me you won't ever talk to them or play at the Sandlot again, if it's them, you lose your best friend."

Ricky looked at Terry in complete disbelief and then looked away. He saw that Melanie had rushed over to them when the fighting had started. She was worried; her green eyes showed the proof of it.

"I'm sorry Terry," Ricky said knowing that they would never replace his spot on the team. "But I agree with the boys if you don't want to be one of us then you can leave."

Terry's eyes bulged. He had been so sure that Ricky would leave with him and they would go and play league ball together. How very wrong he was.

"Fine, from this day forward we don't know each other," Terry said. "C'mon Melanie."

"But…"

"Now."

Terry marched over to Melanie, grabbed her arm, and stalked away pulling her close behind.

Ricky watched her go, knowing that he would never ever have a chance to tell Melanie what he had wanted to tell her for many years.

Melanie looked at her reflection in the mirror that hung on the inside of her locker door and studied the young woman who stood staring back.

Deep green eyes gazed back at her, daring her to do what she had been planning to do for months. The mirror showed strawberry-blond hair that fell to her shoulders, but Melanie knew that her braided hair fell to below her waist. She wore designer clothes and a layer of mascara because high school society required it of her.

Melanie grimaced at her reflection, how she hated being popular. It wasted too much energy.

But because her brother was a high school All-Star, which made him the most popular boy in school, Melanie had to play her part as most popular girl when in reality she hated it.

"I don't know what you're frowning about, but you look pretty sexy to me."

Melanie looked up in time to see the slow smile of Terrance's partner in crime appear across his face.

"Go away Sebastian," she said tartly. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Ouch! That hurts right here you know."

Sebastian covered his heart with a hand.

Sebastian Bryce had been half in love with Melanie since he first met her at Terrance's first league baseball game. Sebastian played short stop on Terrance's team. Terrance had been all for the romance and had told her she should go out with him so that she could get her mind off of other matters (He would never mention the fight at the Sandlot).

When Sebastian had asked her out on their first day of freshman year, Melanie had politely refused him by saying she wanted to meet more of the other guys in their grade first. Sebastian had taken that as a maybe and had asked her to every school function in the past year.

"Good, I'm glad it hurt. Now go away. I'm not in a good mood."

Melanie grabbed her bag from her locker and slammed the door shut.

"Well, let me try to make you feel better," Sebastian pleaded.

"No."

Melanie started to walk back the way she came toward the large double doors at the end of the hallway.

"Please?"

No matter how much she hated him, she couldn't ignore his pleading tone.

"Fine."

Melanie stopped and turned towards him.

Melanie had stopped at exactly the perfect spot. From here, Ricky could eavesdrop and pretend to be searching for something in his locker without being noticed.

"You have exactly one minute to try to make me feel better," Melanie stated hotly.

Ouch, Ricky deemed. Sebastian is such an idiot. I can't believe it's been a year and he still hasn't figured out that Melanie isn't interested.

"Excellent!" Sebastian said in glee.

He pulled a hand from behind his back and produced a bouquet of flowers.

"They're beautiful," Melanie said taking them.

Oh man. Ricky took a short peek at Melanie and Sebastian. She's setting herself up.

"Did I make you feel better?" Sebastian asked.

"A little."

"That was only part of my gift," he said.

"Only part?" Melanie asked suspiciously. "What's the other part?"

"This."

Sebastian leaned down and planted a sloppy kiss right on Melanie's lips.

Ricky felt hot fury race through his body. He tensed waiting for Melanie's reply.

"Sebastian, what're you doing?" Melanie asked shocked.

She doesn't sound mad, Ricky worried.

"I thought that was pretty obvious," he said. "I'm kissing my girlfriend goodbye after a long day at school."

"You what!?"

There's the temper I know and love! Ricky cheered silently in his head. He started to put books into his bag.

"You're my girlfriend, Melanie. I thought I'd made that very clear when I asked Terrance to ask you to the end of the year dance for me," he said. "If you said yes, which your brother said you did, then you'd become my date and my girlfriend."

Terrance is such a blob of slime! Ricky was furious. He knows Melanie hates Sebastian. Why on earth would he have her agree to something he knew she wouldn't?

Melanie started at Sebastian flabbergasted.

"First," she started, finally composing herself. "I am not your girlfriend. Second, I'm not going to the end of the year dance with you."

"Yes you are," he told her. "Terrance told me you'd said yes."

"Terrance never even asked me!" Melanie persisted.

Should I do it? Ricky asked himself. There was no point in asking himself the question when he'd already made the decision.

"Well, guess what? You're going to the dance with me whether you like it or not."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Sebastian, why are you giving _Mel_ a hard time?" a voice asked from behind her.

Melanie turned and discovered that she had never been happier to see Ricky Kelvin in her entire life.

"This is none of you business, Kelvin!" Sebastian roared.

"Well, actually, I think it is," Ricky said. "I believe there might be a misunderstanding."

"A what!?"

"A misunderstanding. You see, just this morning I asked Melanie to the dance. Right _Mel_?" Ricky gave Melanie a meaningful look.

"Oh! Ah…yes." Melanie stuttered.

"You mean to tell me you are going to the dance with Kelvin!" Sebastian demanded.

"Yes she is," Ricky said moving closer to Melanie.

"I wasn't asking you, sand-boy," Sebastian hollered. "I was asking her."

"Yes Sebastian, I am going with Ricky to the dance. I tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen," Melanie lied.

"You…and him?" Sebastian pointed at Melanie and then at Ricky. "This has got to be a joke!"

"No, Sebastian, it's not," Melanie said.

Melanie closed the last bit of distance between her and Ricky and reached for his hand. She felt his jolt of surprise, but his poker face remained in place.

Sebastian stared disbelieving at the couple's joined hands.

"You're going to pay for this, Kelvin!" Sebastian threatened. "If it's the last thing I do, you'll pay."

With that, Sebastian Bryce stalked away.

Melanie held Ricky's hand until Sebastian was out of sight and then turned to him.

"Ricky, why did you do that?" she asked. "Sebastian will hurt you when he gets the chance, if Terrance doesn't pound you first."

Ricky looked down into the worried green eyes that started up at him. His five foot nine frame dwarfed her small one of five two. She was so… How could he tell her the truth of why he had agreed to this?

Ricky shook his head. He had other things to think about. Particularly the pickle he'd just managed to get himself into.

"I have my reasons," he finally managed. "Now let's get rid of these."

Ricky took the flowers from Melanie's hand and stuffed them into a random unlocked locker.

"I'll pick you up at 7:30 for the dance," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ricky Kelvin left Melanie Trevor standing in the middle of the school hallway with her mouth hanging open in disbelief of what had just happened.

Terrance was going to kill her.


	2. Blackout

**Author's note: Hey everybody! Here's chapter 2. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Sandlot but I do own Melanie Trevor**

**The Sandlot Team:**

Pitcher- Robert (Rob) Owen

Catcher- Anthony (Tony) Santini

1st Base- Karl Karlson

2nd Base- Enrique (Panic) Julio

3rd Base- Rocco (The Rock) Kipper

Short Stop- Ricky Kelvin

Left Field- Mel Trevor

Right Field- Kirk Karlson

Center Field- Myron (Four Eyes) Spencer

**The Falcons: **

Pitcher- Victor Roy

Catcher- Miles Tanner

1st Base- Kyle Jacobowski

2nd Base- Bruno Whitman

3rd Base- Riley Brown

Short Stop- Sebastian Bryce

Left Field- Terrence Trevor

Right Field- Rex Jackson

Center Field- Tyler Parker

Chapter 2

Blackout

Ricky sprinted out of the school and darted down the many roads between his present location and the Sandlot. The guys were gonna kill him for being so late.

As he turned the corner into the Sandlot, he slowed his pace to a walk and entered the clubhouse.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tony demanded, blowing his brown, frizzy hair up out of his freckled face.

"I got held up at school," he lied. "I had some unfinished business with…"

Ricky squeezed his hand into a fist. He still couldn't shake the feeling of having Melanie's hand in his. It had felt so…

"With who?" Rob demanded.

"What?" Ricky asked, totally confused.

The boys rolled their eyes.

"Who did you have unfinished business with?" Rob repeated a little more hotly this time. It seemed Rob's temper was getting the better of him again.

"Oh! Ah…nobody," Ricky lied again. "Let's go play some ball."

"Not until you tell us why you were late," Enrique stated with a slurred Spanish accent.

"It was nothing, guys."

"Then tell us!" Karl insisted. "It can't be that bad."

"Yeah! Tell us!" All seven boys started shouting at once.

Myron cleaned his glasses on his shirt while waiting for the others to quiet down. Only then did he speak.

"Is it a girl?" he asked slyly.

At Ricky's blush the boys started shouting and whistling all at once.

"Who is she?" Rocco demanded. "Is it someone we know?"

"Is she someone from school?" Kirk asked.

"Quiet!" Tony yelled above all the questions. "Did you ask her to the dance?"

Ricky turned away.

"Aha! He did!" Rob screamed. "Ricky has his first date!"

It took five whole minutes for the boys to settle.

"So who is she?" Myron probed again.

"It better not be Tammy Standler," Rocco said. "Or Myron, here, is gonna blow a fuse."

Myron flushed and wacked Rocco with his glove while the rest of the boys chuckled.

"No, it's not Tammy Standler," Ricky said.

"Then who?" they asked in unison.

"I guess you'll all find out at the dance."

"Oh, c'mon, Ricky!" they yelled. "Tell us."

"Nope," Ricky said smugly.

The seven boys chucked their gloves at Ricky, each hitting him in a different spot.

"Hey, guys, c'mon!" Ricky pleaded.

"Then tell us," Enrique said.

"You'll find out at the dance," he repeated.

All of the boys huffed into aggravated silence.

"Well, is she sexy?" Rob questioned.

"Do you think I'd ask a girl who wasn't?" Ricky asked. "No more questions. Let's go play some baseball."

As each boy left the clubhouse, they slapped Ricky on the arm both in congratulations and annoyance.

It's official, I'm crazy, Melanie thought as she ran down the road. She had convinced herself that she was just going to watch them for a few moments so she could see Robert play.

But if that was so, why did she have her glove in her bag?

Melanie raced from alley to alley, her feet remembering this well-known path. She hadn't been to the Sandlot since the fight Terrance and Ricky had. As she rounded the corner, she heard someone yelling: "Kirk, throw to Enrique. Panic throw to Rocco. Rocco go back to Rob."

Melanie edged around the corner of the alley and slipped into the trees and bushes of the edge of the Sandlot as she heard the sound of wood hitting leather. She slid silently from tree to tree in hopes of not being discovered.

The Sandlot looked just as it always had: a huge sand inner field with a perfectly green grass outer field. The clubhouse still looked like it was going to fall down; old and decrepit. The never ending game of baseball continued just like it always had, no one kept score and positions were rotated. Each time a ball was hit, a new play was put into action.

The only things that had seemed to change were the boys themselves. She knew them all, of course, but each had grown up into young men in the past couple years.

Melanie made her way all the way to the back of the field where large, scattered bushes grew and a huge aluminum wall stood separating the Sandlot from someone's yard. She crouched down behind a gigantic bush, dumped her bag next to her, and looked for her secret crush.

Robert was throwing pitch after pitch while Ricky hit every one of them. Robert was tall, about as tall as Ricky. His dirty blond hair was cut short for the upcoming summer heat. He adjusted his red baseball cap, which he wore backwards, before every pitch. Melanie remembered that Robert believed this habit brought good luck.

"Myron," Ricky yelled. "I'm gonna hit this one to left field. I want you to run and catch it. Then throw it in. Got it?"

"Yup!"Myron Spencer's shout sounded like a squeak from center field.

Robert changed the position of his hat and wound up for his pitch just as Melanie started to panic. She was sitting right smack in left field. She had to get out of their now. Melanie hopped to her feet, grabbed her bag off the ground, and started to tiptoe rapidly back across the field. It wasn't as easy now that seven boys were watching Myron race to left field to catch the fly ball.

"Hey, look out!" someone yelled.

But before Melanie could react, everything had gone black.

"Is she dead?" Myron asked.

"No, stupid!" Tony said. "She just blacked out."

The eight boys started down at the unconscious girl who was still clutching her bag.

"What does she think she's doing here?" Rocco asked no one in particular.

"Terrance va !" Enrique sputtered.

"He's what?" the other boys demanded.

"Oh, lo siento! I think Terrance is going to kill us," he repeated in English.

"And why would he do that?" Kirk asked.

"Because he hates us!" Tony told him.

"I hope Terrance does come," Rob said nastily. "I've waited so long to lay a knuckle sandwich to his nose."

"There will be no fighting this time," Ricky said threateningly. "Let's see what she's doing here before we make any snap decisions."

The boys watched as Ricky knelt down and started to shake Melanie Trevor awake.

The first thing Melanie saw when her green eyes flicked open was Ricky's puppy dog brown ones staring back. She felt his hands on her arms, glanced down at them and then looked up at the seven pairs of eyes watching the drama unfold. They all stared down at her waiting for her to say something.

Instead, Melanie winced in pain as she felt where the baseball had hit her head.

"D'you think she heard us?" Kirk whispered to Karl.

"No, 'course not," he replied in the same hushed tone. "She was unconscious."

Melanie didn't have the guts to tell them that she'd heard the entire conversation.

"How long did I black out for?" she asked Ricky.

"A couple minutes or so."

All nine lapsed into an uneasy silence.

Finally Tony voiced the question all eight boys wanted to know.

"Why are you here?"

"I, ah…came to talk to Ricky," Melanie lied. She turned her head back to him.

"I wanted to thank you for earlier."

"You what!" Rocco asked.

"Ricky, you didn't," Rob said.

Kirk nudged his brother.

"Ricky didn't what?" he whispered.

"Ask Melanie to the dance," Karl replied.

Kirk's face blanched.

"Yeah guys, I did," Ricky said. He helped Melanie get to her feet.

"I can't believe you," Rob said angrily. "Terrance's own sister!"

With that he stomped off towards the clubhouse with the rest of the boys close behind him.

Ricky watched them go.

"I'm so sorry," Melanie said. "I didn't think that they would hate me like Terrance."

Ricky ignored her comment.

"Why are you here?"

Melanie's face reddened. She couldn't tell him the truth.

"I came to thank you, just like I said."

"No, Melanie, there's another reason why you came. What is it?"

Melanie glanced a few feet away towards the spot where Terrance used to stand when he played left field at the Sandlot.

"You've got to be kidding," Ricky said in disbelief. "The guys'll never go for it."

"What do you think, Ricky? If it were just your decision would you let me play?"

Ricky turned his face away. How could he tell her no? She was everything he'd dreamed of…

"I'm sorry, Melanie," he said. "I couldn't do that to Rob."

"Damn baseball players, I have to do everything myself."

Melanie turned on her heel and started to stalk towards the clubhouse.

"Melanie, no! Wait!" Ricky tore after her and grabbed her arms.

"What?" she asked furiously.

"You can't…"

"I can't what?" she demanded. "Play baseball? I can't ask them? What are you afraid of Ricky?"

Ricky's jaw dropped. Scarred? Ricky wasn't scared of anything.

She ignored his shock and kept moving. She reached the clubhouse and stomped down the steps. When she hit the bottom she found seven pairs of eyes staring at her.

Melanie took a deep breath and plunged.

"I want to play baseball with you guys."

"What!?" they shouted. The protests followed.

"What the hell is this, Ricky?" Rob asked.

Melanie turned and found that Ricky had followed her into the clubhouse.

"First you ask her to the dance, then this?" Tony said. "What are you thinking, man?"

"This was her idea, guys," Ricky said.

"So what? Why didn't you try to talk her out of it?" Rocco persisted.

"I tried…"

"No," Rob declared. "We won't have a girl play at the Sandlot. Especially Terrance's sister."

"Yeah!" the boys agreed.

"This is ridiculous!" Melanie shouted. "I'm not the one you guys fought with. Why won't you let me play?"

"Girls can't play baseball!" Tony screamed back.

Everyone went silent.

And them Melanie started to laugh.

"You're kidding right?" she asked. "Girls can't play baseball? Have you ever seen a girl play baseball?"

"Well, ah…no," Tony finished lamely.

"Then how do you know?"

"Just because I've never seen a girl play baseball doesn't mean I don't know that girls can't play baseball," Tony said.

"Girls can't play baseball," Karl agreed.

"Yeah, girls can't play baseball," Kirk said.

"Shut up Kirk!" Karl snapped.

Melanie chuckled.

"Okay, so let's make a bet, shall we?" Melanie suggested.


End file.
